Is anyone safe in Germany…especially the perfect female examples of the German race.

Gundi is one of the perfect, gorgeous German women chosen by the Reich to bear perfect children to create the master race. She does have a secret, though. Actually she has two secrets.

We meet Hilde who is a staunch follower of the Reich and one of the women who is willing to help fill Germany with perfect children.

And we meet Irma a former nurse and 44 years old. She will be the one encouraging the unwed mothers to stay healthy so they deliver these perfect children.

We meet these women during this dark time in history and at Lebensborn Society maternity homes where women arrive already pregnant or who will become pregnant by an approved German officer.

Ms. Coburn did amazing, thorough research on a topic I never knew about.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy CRADLES OF THE REICH.

There are many sensitive and heartbreaking topics addressed, and this idea of using German women in this way is something I couldn’t believe. 4/5

This book was given to me by the author via NetGalley for an honest review.

Coburn does a spectacular job of highlighting different women that were deeply affected by Hilter’s horrifying schemes to breed racially pure infants. Each of the three women we follow have very different roles, all three of which are needed to get the full picture of what was occurring.

I highly recommend reading the authors note at the end, it was very enlightening.

Would you volunteer your womb for the Reich?

This novel dives deeply into a rarely explored, dark and ugly side of Nazi Germany. Young girls were housed in Lebensborn society homes throughout the country with the sole purpose of procreating and producing more "Aryan" children to fill the new Germany. Readers explore this strange world through the lenses of three women - Gundi, a young woman working in the resistance with her Jewish boyfriend, Hilde, a teenager trying to find her place in Hitler's world, and Irma, a nurse still reeling from the effects the Great War had on her personal and professional life. They all come together at a Lebensborn home called Heim Hochland.

I think the author describes it best in her Author's Note: "I love reading historical fiction because it allows me to learn about history through the more intimate lens of personal relationships." I always say I would have been a much better history student if HF was used in my history classes! The author's hope was also for this novel to: "provide fodder for discussions about the social environments that allow women's bodies to be politicized and commoditized." Powerful writing, gripping characters, and an exploration of a side of WWII most don't know about make this an engaging, if disturbing, read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC. Publishing date: October 11, 2022.

I would definitely rate this 3.5 stars, because it was a very interesting read, and quite compelling throughout the entire narrative. I also appreciated how it was not another WWII story like you see all the time if you are a fan of the genre. However, the ending is very sudden, and kind of snuck up on me in a way that was not entirely satisfying. I expected a bit more "falling action." Additionally, I didn't even realize that we were completely done, and would in fact not be returning to Hilde and Irma's narratives, until I realized the entire book had reached its conclusion! Those arcs did not feel entirely "finished" to me, at least not in a way I recognized as such. But overall, it was a very good read.

From multiple feminine points of view, readers experience a fictional version of the real Lebensborn project in 1939 Germany. The characters learn about the program to increase the population of Aryan children by arranging conception, maternity care, and adoption. Gundi, a resistance fighter pregnant with her Jewish boyfriend’s child meets Nurse Irma and Nazi-enthusiast Hilde. The ladies are visited by characters representing historically-real soldiers, such as Himmler, Goebbels, and Scholtz-Klink.

I think we all know that the historical fiction genre is positively saturated with stories set against a WWII backdrop, but this one stands out for its exploration of the Lebensborn program, a Nazi breeding initiative.

Cradles of the Reich is set in various cities in Germany at the start of the war, and it follows the experiences of three very different German women. Gundi, Hilde, and Irma all have radically opposing beliefs and opinions at the beginning of the story, but they all are changed by their experiences at Heim Hochland. At the estate, pregnant German girls are encouraged to give up their "highly adoptable" and "racially fit" Aryan babies to high-ranking military officers and their wives. Other young girls at Heim Hochland are groomed to become impregnated by visiting SS officials, all in an effort to provide babies "for the führer" and for the future of New Germany. One of the girls finds herself in danger, and she must figure out a way to get herself and her baby out of the Lebensborn home before something terrible happens to her beloved daughter.

I found this story horrifying, of course, but also enlightening. I have to say, I have a lot of respect for Jennifer Coburn, a Jewish woman, successfully writing from the perspective of an enthusiastic young Nazi girl. I believe the intent here was to bring some insight into how such blatantly horrific propaganda appealed to young minds, and why it was so widely successful. Hilde's experiences are a bit sad and a bit pathetic, and I do hope that she has had a change of heart by the close of this story.

Overall, I learned much about this particular aspect of the Nazi initiatives, and I found the story engaging. I enjoyed reading WWII fiction from the perspective of three German women, and I will seek out more stories like this in the future. Thank you to Jennifer Coburn, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Cradles of the Reich is a fascinating historical fiction book from the World War II era. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and find particular interest in stories from World War II as they portray the very worst of mankind opposite the very best. Stories of ordinary people moved to take extraordinary risks and feats to try and help those hunted by the Nazi regime never fails to move me. This novel focuses on a program I was unaware of—the Lebensborn Society, another construct of Hitler’s striving to breed the perfect Aryan race. Three woman are brought to the Heim Hochland, a palatial home in Rural Germany for Aryan pregnant, unmarried women in different situations with different motivations. One young woman is a German involved in the resistance fight to save Jews and is pregnant by her secret Jewish husband. She was forced into the Lebensborn program due to her perfect Aryan characteristics and is concerned that her baby may favor its Jewish father when born. Another young woman has purposely gotten pregnant by an SS leader in hopes of securing herself a life as a pampered mistress. The third woman winds up there as a nurse there unaware upon her entry there of the intent of the whole Lebensborn program. She had hit a crisis point in her life and needed to find a new life and winds up there taking care of the young pregnant women housed and cared for there. You get a glimpse at the lengths the Nazis were going to take over the world and remake it in its own image of perfectionBy adopting out the children born at Heim Hochland to SS leaders, bringing orphans left from the war deemed acceptable to be adopted by Germans to expand their blonde, blue-eyed Aryan race. The book ends with a breath-taking escape to freedom that keeps you turning the pages.

The author of the book reached out to me about reviewing the book so even though my copy came via NetGalley, these thoughts are my own.

Cradles of the Reich is a middle of the road book for me and here is why:

What I thought author, Jennifer Coburn, did really well was bring to light a lesser know Nazi program called The Lebensborn Program. In short, this program identified "racially valuable" German women and paired them with "racially valued" German men to produce a "superior race" that was free from defects. What can I say? The Nazis really were crazy. Being the subject of the book, makes this book a valuable addition to the WWII Historical Fiction world. I had some basic background knowledge of the book and because Cradles of the Reich went into more details I struggled to put it down.

Coburn tells the story of three German girls/women and their experiences within the Lebensborn Program. The author does a stellar job at making the reader feel outraged at the pro-Nazi speak and the clear insanity of it all, but in an effort to tell the story from three main characters some character development is lost along the way and the ending comes very abruptly.

In terms of Hildie, I didn't get any closure for her as a character.

Irma, whom I found insufferable at the beginning has a change of heart by the end but I couldn't quite figure out where that happens---I would have liked to see her character fleshed out a bit more and read a more impactful reason for her shift in headspace. Her change was dramatic but I couldn't figure out why she changed.

And I'm going to need another novel about Gundi.

Overall I think it's a great addition to shelf so 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

When I first started reading Cradles of the Reich, I was very intrigued to read a historical fiction about World War II written from the perspective of three women of German decent. Jennifer did a great job developing these three characters; she gives readers a different perspective of what these women were faced with by their own government and society. I truly learned a lot, I never knew places like Helm Hochland even existed. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the gifted read.

💙Wow! There’s a reason historical fiction is my favorite, and this book is no exception! Absolutely incredible!

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn is one of the most fascinating novels I have ever read. While some parts of this book were hard to read (it is about Nazi Germany after all), I was pulled so deeply into the history. I’ve read a lot of WWII books, and yet I knew nothing about the Nazi Breeding Program. Mind blown!

Plus you guys know how much I love novels with nurse characters, and I found myself putting myself in Irma’s shoes. What would I have done in her position? What if I had been a nurse in Germany during the war? This book made me think about points of view I had never considered, with characters I couldn’t help but love, and impeccable writing. Definitely in my top five reads of the year so far!

Bonus, if you want to learn some of the history behind the book, visit @jennifercoburnbooks on Instagram where she shares many interesting facts from the book and the history behind them. You’ll instantly want to read the book!

Told from the viewpoints of three different women, I was once again shocked by another bloodcurdling atrocity that I had previously been unaware that happened. The Nazis & Hitler was creating the “master race” in maternity homes or breeding grounds for the perfection of the Aryan race.

Thought-provoking and superbly researched, be prepared for the entire rainbow of emotions to come out while reading this brutal, heartbreaking & emotional journey of these women.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookmarked for the gifted copy.

This is an entertaining, well-written, informative, WWII historical fiction novel which is based on actual events. It describes the Nazi breeding program known as the Lebensborn Society from the perspectives of three very different German women. The contrasting points of view, vividly described settings, fast pace, and well developed characters engage the reader from the beginning until the end of this outstanding novel. Ms. Coburn's notes and personal insight are interesting and enlightening, and are truly appreciated.
NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark kindly provided me with an ARC of this novel, and this is my honest opinion.

I couldn't stop reading! Jennifer Coburn did her research and wrote a moving story.about one of Hitler's less well known programs.

Such a wonderful vivid telling of an issue that I never knew about the Nazi war machine! The devious Nazis wanted to create a pure Aryan race, minus any imperfections, disabilities, or mental illness. To do so, they selected certain woman who were pregnant and some who they desired to be pregnant were sent to special homes where they were treated well and cared for.

This book focuses on three of this women (fictional) that found themselves in one of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes. One chosen for her beauty as well as being pregnant Hilde, seduced a higher up in the Nazi Party and had great ambitions for herself and her newly formed family. This man was married with children but Hilde was a firm believer in the principals being forwarded by the party. Another young girl, Gundi was a university student, pregnant and keeping a big secret as the father of the child iwasJewish. The third woman was Irma, a person looking to run away from a personal loss.

All three were to learn of the methods of the Lebensborn Society whose purpose was a breeding ground for the master race. Certainly, Gundi's child, if found out its heritage, would be destined to death.

This interesting story gave witness to yet another aberration of the Nazis. They kept girls within their confines so that they could become pregnant by Nazi commanders to flower the Nazi race and their ideas. There existed many of these places, throughout conquered nations, not just the one mentioned in the book. Even babies from these conquered nations (without their mothers) did not escape if they were deemed Aryan enough and bore the traits of blonde hair and blue eyes that was desired. They would be adopted by good Nazi families to be raised in the Nazi way with true values and allegiance to the regime.

A sad and shocking period of history that reinforced the idea that this was truly a heinous reign of both terror and vileness.

Thank you to Jennifer Cobum who did extensive research on the topic , Sourcebooks Landmarks, and NetGalley for a copy of this historical fiction story.

Set in pre WWII Germany, this novel follows three women who are eventually tied together by the Lebensborn Society. The Lebensborn Society was born from the Natzi initiative to promote a breeding program for racially desirable children representing German ideals.

Gundi is a blonde haired, blue eyed German girl, the picture of “good” Aryan genes, but she is pregnant with a Jewish man’s baby who is also part of the Resistance. Irma is a nurse at Heim Hochland (one of the Lebensborn Society’s homes) seeing to the needs of the mothers. She was also a nurse during the First World War and she carry’s her own burdens from her time as a nurse then. Lastly, Hilde is a true believer in the Natzi ideals and wants to make contributions.

Hilda’s story line is very unpleasant to read, yet adds an interesting perspective to this novel. I really liked Gundi’s character and the strength she showed in the situation she was in.

Jennifer Coburn’s writing shows how much research she put into this novel. This is not your typical WWII historical fiction, she tackles this lesser known time in history and not only illustrates the victims, but also those who embraced the Lebensborn Society program.

I will read all things that take place around WWII/Holocaust. I couldn't put this book down! This is a fascinating historical fiction about the experiences of three young German women in the Reich during WWII. Told in their alternating voices, we learn about Himmler’s Lebensborn program, that was carried out in state-supported palatial homes that housed young women for the purpose of giving birth to pure blooded Aryan children. Even though they come from very different backgrounds and circumstances, the three women end up in one of these breeding homes and their stories begin to intertwine.
If you like historical fiction, this is a must read! I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This historical novel focuses on the Lebensborn homes established by Heinrich Himmler. The program’s purpose was to increase the number of Aryan children based on eugenics. Unmarried mothers meeting the criteria were encouraged to have their children adopted by families, particularly SS member families. The program also provided women for soldiers in the hopes the “model” women would become pregnant, and went so far as to kidnap children based on their desirability in order to “Germanize” them.

There are three main characters who all meet at Heim Hochland, a Lebensborn home. Gundi is part of the resistance and while she is a master specimen of Aryan eugenics, unbeknownst to authorities her unborn child is half Jewish. Hilde is a true believer and is proud to be having the child of a married SS officer. Irma is a middle-aged nurse who was widowed during the Great War and is questioning the direction the SS is taking her country.

The story was well-researched, and I would recommend reading the author’s endnote at the beginning. This is a dark and depraved part of history, but was handled delicately. The story was paced well, even if it was formulaic. Each of the women were fairly predictable. While all three have different attitudes, they were written without any distinction. I would have perhaps enjoyed the book more if each of the three women had a noticeably different voice. If you have no knowledge of this subject, it is a great introduction to set you on the path to learning more.

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I thoroughly enjoyed Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn. I’ve read hundreds of books on different aspects of ww2 and the Holocaust and this is the first time I’ve come across the lebensborn society that was the premise for this book. The author does a fabulous job of weaving the story together with historical details and gruesome information about a program started by Himmlers SS. I would (and already did!) definitely recommend this book to all of my friends and followers!!

The best book i have read this year, i didb't know anything about this subject and Jennifer did her research. I hope there is a follow up.

Hitler's program for searching out Aryan mother's-to-be that could be confined to deliver their (pure race) babies in one of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes is the basis of Jennifer Coburn's historical fiction novel.  These babies were then adopted to be the sons and daughters of Germany's high-ranking officials.  
Having read numerous historical WWII novels, this is the first that I've heard of this disturbing and horrendous "stolen" baby program.  In my opinion, these babies were stolen from their mothers at birth to create Hitler's perfect race.  
This novel is so well researched and written that I found it hard to put it down.   I needed to know what Gundi, Hilde, and Irma would do next, and how it would affect their futures.  
Of utmost interest is the research information in the back of the book.  Do not pass up the chance to learn more of Ms. Coburn life and  research. 
If you like historical fiction based on facts, this is an excellent read!

Thanks to #NetGalley and @sourcebookslandmark for this ARC.  This opinion is my own.